The Bible tells the story of Sodom to show how much Sodom men's minds had been warped by wickedness and evil. There are various passages in the Old and New Testament that further describe the sins that the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of, and homosexuality (or an ancient Greek equivalent) is not ever mentioned. One such passage is Ezek. 16:49-50 ESV, and it explains, "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it." Notice that homosexuality is not mentioned in this passage that describes the sins of Sodom. Also notice that the word "abomination" is used on this passage.

Ezek. 16:49-50 ESV explains, "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it." The word "abomination" in Ezek. 16:50 comes from the ancient Hebrew word tô‛êbah, which is the feminine active participle of the verb "to loathe," meaning "something disgusting (morally), that it, (as noun) an abhorrence; especially idolatry or (concretely) an idol."1

The word tô‛êbah, meaning abomination, is also the same word used in the Lev. 18:22 ESV "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" and in Lev. 20:13 ESV "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination . . . ." Based upon the common usage of this word in the Lev. 18:22, 20:13, which are verses that describe homosexual conduct as an abomination towards God, it is clear that the "abomination" that Ezek. 16:50"They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it" Ezek. 16:50 ESV. refers to is also the sin of homosexuality.

Jude 1:7 ESV restates the reasons why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah: "(J)ust as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire." Likewise, Jude 1:7 KJV states, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha (sic), and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."

Jude 1:7 ESV confirms the conclusion that the word "abomination" in Ezek. 16:50 refers to the Lev. 18:22 and Lev. 20:13 passages because Jude 1:7 ESV re-states the reasons why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and it emphasizes the sexual perversions and immoralities of the former residents. Jude 1:7 ESV states, "(J)ust as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire." Similarly, Jude 1:7 KJV states, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha (sic), and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." The "strange flesh" cited in Jude 1:7 KJV actually refers to the Sodom men's desire to have homosexual relations with the angels, which further supports the conclusion that God destroyed the city of Sodom because of the men's homosexual desires.

A quick linguistic study of the two Greek words that make up the term "strange flesh" will also support the idea that the passage does not refer specifically to the Sodomites' attempted homosexual relations, but instead refers to their sexual sins as a whole. The Greek word for strange is ἕτερος, and the Greek word for flesh is οάρξ. According to the Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary, ἕτερος means "the other; one of two, another; the second; different, of another kind; at variance."2 Likewise, according to The New Strong's Concordance of the Bible (hereinafter Strong's Concordance), ἕτερος means "Of uncertain affinity; (an-, the) other or different: - altered, else, next (day), one, (an-) other, some, strange."3

Notice that the "strange" definition for ἕτερος is listed at the end of the Strong's Concordance definition. Curiously, "strange" is not listed as a valid definition for ἕτερος in the Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary. In fact, ἕτερος is used in the New Testament 99 times in 94 verses, and the only time it is translated as "strange" is in Jude 1:7 KJV.4 In all of the other verses, ἕτερος is defined primarily as "other" or "another" (or some variation of these). These translations match up with the Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary as well.

The second word, οάρξ, is translated as "flesh" in Jude 1:7 KJV. In the Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary, the word means "flesh, piece of flesh; body."5 According to Strong's Concordance, οάρξ means "flesh (as stripped of the skin) . . . or (by extension) the body (as opposed to the soul (or spirit), or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred. . . ."6 Based on the above two definitions of the word οάρξ, we can safely say that the word most likely refers to human flesh, and not angelic beings.

As previously stated, the translation of ἕτερος as "strange" is not accurate. A more accurate translation of ἕτερος would be "other", and the entire phrase should read as "other flesh." Thus, a more accurate translation of Jude 1:7 KJV would be, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha (sic), and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after 'other flesh,' are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Based on this translation and the fact that the verse includes Sodom, Gomorrah, and other cities, it is easy to understand how it is possible that God destroyed the cities because their residents engaged in sexual intercourse outside of marriage, including homosexual intercourse.

Some people believe that the words "sodomy" and "sodomize" came directly from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, and, therefore, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah must be meant to condemn homosexuality. They are wrong.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2012), "sodomy" means "anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex; also, copulation with an animal" and it was first used sometime in the thirteenth century; "sodomize" means "to perform sodomy on" and it was first used in 1868; and "sodomite" means "one who practices sodomy" and it was first used in the fourteenth century. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah, however, was told in ancient Hebrew before the English language even existed, before the words "sodomy," "sodomize," and "sodomite" ever existed.

At any rate, the words "sodomy" and "sodomite" were derived from an understanding that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah refers to perverse sexual sins, in general. When the King James Version Bible was written, the word "sodomy" actually referred to "all sexual acts of any kind, between people of either gender, which were not vaginal penetration in the missionary position."4 Over the years, people started to associate "sodomite" only with anal intercourse.

Despite this modern interpretation of the word, we must remind ourselves that the ancient Hebrew words kadash and sedôm existed before the words "sodomy," "sodomize," and "sodomite" came into existence in the English language, and "sodomy," "sodomize," and "sodomite" are derived from sedôm, which means "scorched, burnt." Interestingly, the residents of Sodom are never referred to collectively as "Sodomites" in the Bible. Only the "men of Sodom" or the "city of Sodom" are referred to in the Bible, and this may have helped fuel the modern interpretation of the word "sodomite." Nevertheless, based on the history of the English words "sodomy," "sodomize," and "sodomite" and the true meaning of the word sedôm, it is impossible to conclude that "sodomy," "sodomize," and "sodomite" have any relevancy as to the reasons why God destroyed Sodom in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

It is clearly stated in the above passages that homosexuality is a sin. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah confirms this conclusion, and the sin of homosexuality is specifically admonished in the book of Leviticus. Although some of the rules in Leviticus are antiquated and are no longer followed by Christians, almost all of the rules in Lev. 18:6-24, which address improper sexual relations and which ban incestuous relationships, bestiality, and homosexuality within Christian's lives, are currently followed by Christians. Moreover, we know that God destroyed the city of Sodom because the men of the city were trying to have homosexual relations with angels, which supports the claim that homosexuality is a sin.

4Spencer, 1995, p. 57; "'Sodomy' had a different meaning in the Middle Ages, referring to anal penetration of either sex or two positions where the woman was on top of the man, or to copulation with an animal" (Spencer, 1995, p. 58). Return

7"We find here: 1. That they were all wicked (v. 4). Wickedness had become universal, and they were unanimous in any evil design. 2. That they had arrived at the highest point of wickedness; they were sinners before the Lord exceedingly (v. 13); for . . . it was the most unnatural and detestable wickedness that they were now set on, a sin that still bears their name and is called sodomy" (Henry, 2010, p. 40). Return

The history of how the story of Sodom came to be associated with homosexuality: According to the historian C. Spencer, "The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs," which was written in the second century B.C. and which admonishes those who "commit the sin of Sodom," was the first manuscript to link the story of Sodom and Gomorrah with homosexuality (Spencer, 1995, p. 65). Two New Testament Jewish scholars, Flavius Josephus and Philo of Alexandria, also interpreted the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as having homosexual undertones (Nissinen, 1998, p. 93). Even though Josephus wrote that the Sodomites arrogance and hatred of strangers were the causes of their demise, he believed that Lot's angelic guests took the form of handsome young men who aroused the sexual desires of the Sodomites (Nissinen, 1998, p. 93-94, citing Josephus, Ant. 1.194-204). Josephus interprets the story as having pederastic elements because love between men and boys was common during that time period in Greece (Nissinen, 1998, p. 94).